Lisa Hedgepeth was reading The Washington Post in January when she came across then-98-year-old Holocaust survivor Saul Dreier, who started a band at 95. She called him and was thrilled to hear his voice on the other line.
“He’s hilarious,” Hedgepeth said of Dreier. “He has a great story, but he doesn’t focus on being a Holocaust survivor; he’s a joyful person who also is a Holocaust survivor and wants people to never forget, but he’s just so full of light and joy.”
Hedgepeth, Shaare Tefila Congregation’s social action committee chairperson, hosted Dreier at the Olney synagogue on Sept. 22 for a concert and conversation. He performed Jewish and klezmer music for the nearly 120 attendees with the local band Swing’N On A Star.
Dreier’s love of music was one constant that gave him hope as a Polish-born Jewish teen confined to a concentration camp and forced to work in labor camps during World War II. His parents were killed by Nazis as well as about 25 of his relatives.
“[Music] helped me survive,” Dreier, the sole survivor of his family, told The Washington Post in January.
Dreier now travels the world playing drums, a skill he learned in a concentration camp during the Holocaust.
“He’s bringing light through his music and amazing personality; he’s reminding us what happened,” Hedgepeth said. “It’s always important to have a lot of [Holocaust] survivors to remind the young generation something that they may not be familiar with and to never forget.”
She said the event spotlights a person who found joy “after such a horrible childhood” — Hedgepeth wants to pass along Dreier’s message of hope.
“I think his core message has to do with ‘live your life; find joy in life,’” Hedgepeth said. “I hope that people [saw] him and walk[ed] away feeling hopeful seeing someone at this age is still carrying the ‘never forget’ message. Also, I hope that people walk[ed] away feeling inspired, feeling part of a community that is never broken, part of a people who always persevere.”
After a brief introduction by Hedgepeth, Dreier gave a half-hour musical performance and took questions from the audience, sharing his story as a Holocaust survivor: “He loves to talk,” Hedgepeth said.
“He educate[s] people without preaching at them or without letting them know they’re being educated,” she added.
Jerry Kiewe, Shaare Tefila’s executive director, spoke to Dreier’s versatility.
“He’s not just a speaker; he’s a performer,” Kiewe said. “Any time a Holocaust survivor is around, we should cherish the opportunity to hear from them — as we all know, they’re unfortunately not going to be with us that much longer, and that alone makes it worthwhile. He brings an impressive array of skills and his story is a good one.”
Dreier, whose website describes him as a “Holocaust survivor with music in his heart,” created Saul’s Generation Foundation with one of his friends to serve as a bridge between nations and generations. Kiewe said this message of world peace is one especially pertinent now.
“Just look around the world today,” Kiewe said. “We have fighting going on in Ukraine, hostages in Israel, civil wars in other places that sadly, people don’t even pay attention to. That’s, sadly, always a message the world needs.”
The subject matter of the Sept. 22 program was a more personal one for Kiewe, the son of a Holocaust survivor. For his father, “anything after age 11 was a bonus.” Growing up during the Holocaust instilled Kiewe’s father with a genuine appreciation for Jewish life.
Kiewe hopes that this dark time in history is still remembered today in order to prevent events from recurring.
“The further away you get from anything in history, it recedes from actual memory and the collective memory of the population,” Kiewe said. “It’s no surprise for me that the younger population knows less and is less connected to the Holocaust.”
At the event, co-sponsored by the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, a reverend from Interfaith Works collected donations for the nonprofit organization that provides emergency shelter, housing, essential needs and employment programs to Montgomery County residents in need.
“As social action chair, I try to reach out beyond our Jewish community, build bridges and maintain relationships with the broader community,” Hedgepeth said. “We’ve done some things with [Interfaith Works] before — they’re well-known in our community.”
The event was a resounding success, both well-attended and well-received, Kiewe said.
“I think any synagogue would be pleased and proud to have [Dreier],” Kiewe said, adding that any synagogue can host a similar event. “More synagogues should [host] him while he’s alive. It’s a no-brainer.”
zbell@midatlanticmedia.com
